How did you know a doll company?

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Today, I just find a news that show there will be another new doll company open soon.
Looking back of my way, I find that the BJD company I know are mostly from my friends, and here. So, I wonder how did you know a doll company and then to buy their dolls?
1. from friends
2. form web
3. from BJD forum, just like DOA
4. from DP
5. other ways

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Well, I bought my first BJD from the local dollshop, Narae, so then I researched on the Internet for information on the company. I also saw my first Iplehouse doll at the shop and, again, found more information on the web. Now, I get most of my information from the web and a few BJD doll boards/forums.

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From what I can remember, and since my first BJD, I knew about the BJD companies I have bought at searching on the Internet so I should say 2. from web or even 5. other ways because I found out about those webs through my research on the Internet.

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Well, I was introduced to a lot of doll companies by friends before actually deciding to get a doll, I never bought a doll by any of the companies they introduced me to. The company I got my first doll (and every doll from since then) from was one I found myself while researching BJDs on the internet - Volks. Since joining DoA I have also gotten to know and love U-Noas and PukiPukis, which I may end up buying some day. If that is the case, then I will have found some companies through DoA that I bought from. If I ever have an 'extra' thousand dollars laying around I'd go on a Puki shopping spree lol.

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I don't know anyone who's in to dolls, so DoA is my main source of news.
Back when I first heard about BJD and I thought "Dollfies" were a catch all name, so Volks was the only company I knew about before I found this website and started looking at all the other amazing dolls people own.

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I first got into the hobby by hearing about Volks from a friend - who won't answer my emails, calls, tweets...but that's of no business here.

I then wanted a BBB or RS Mei from hearing about both companies on DoA.

I finally went for - and bought - a DM Kid because I had stumbled upon Dollmore while looking for clothes for the RS or BBB Mei (that I didn't buy) and just happened to have remembered that I had seen dolls available on Dollmore...weird, right?

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I was introduced by friends, they'd always be talking abotu different companies and gradually I became famillier with popular companies like Volks and Luts and whatnot. Later on I think one of them introduced me to Fairyland, where I've ordered from the past 2 times.

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Friends- they were talking about a doll meet-up at a con one of them was planning to attend and I was like, "??? is a BJD?" And they told me aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalll about them on Facebook xD Which I'm sure Etienne St.Marc remembers!

I then started looking them up on my own, different companies, but they both showed me Fairyland first, since one of them had a doll from there. So they're my favourite.

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I think the first company site I actually saw was Dream of Doll; I can't really remember how I stumbled across them, but I saw Duncan and I loved him, then I forgot about him and BJD all together. Then I remember seeing some dolls at Sakuracon and thought they were pretty cool; Then forgot about them again. Then my friend during or final exam week decided to spam me with images of Luts dolls; I checked out the site a bit, then I wondered around the out links thread on here for different companies, and I stumbled onto the Crobidoll site.
Their boys pretty much killed my wallet; but my Nao is on his way in a few days.

So to sum it up I'd say it was a cross between Here, a friend, and random luck of browsing the internet for whatever that gives me info about dolls. c:

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I first stumbled upon a BJD website, then when I eventually decided to get one of my own many many months later, I did a search for BJD companies on Google and Yahoo. At that time, none of my friends had BJDs and I wasnt a member of DOA (coz registration was closed at that time). After that (and now), I come to know of new companies from DOA as well as BJD sites like bjdcollectasy.com. ^^

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I learned about BJDs from doing an internet search on Gackt and Hyde in 2003. And some had there dolls fashioned after them, but the site was in Japanese, and I don't read Japanese well enjoy to understand what was being said.

I came across them a few years later from someone on Livejournal in 2006. I asked them about the dolls and they gave me a link to DoA. I bought the first doll I saw, which was a CP Shiwoo. I didn't know anything about them and I started going through all the threads looking at pictures. I told myself he'd would be the only doll that I ever owned.

I no longer own him, I gave him to my mother. But I currently have four dolls with three more planned.

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I do most of my company research here. I go through the Box Opening, Company Reviews, and general rant threads to see who has praise and who has left a trail of frustration in their wake. I used to like CustomHouse, but they're now on my 'wary' list. I'm always interested in new doll companies, but unless they posted really detailed pictures of the naked/unpainted sculpts, I'd wait until someone else had bought one and posted pics before I considered using them.

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2. from web!
I found a BJD picture long time ago, but I didn't know their name.
Then I see another photo with a BJD on DA and the owner of account have a FAQS space, so I found the name of dolls companies, google it and now...I'm in love with BJD!

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I had a friend who owned a few, but only from two companies. I decided to look into what they were and how much they cost and randomly stumbled across Luts. At the time I had no desire to own one, but I did like the dolls so much that I added the site to my favorites list and forgot about it. Several months later another friend was looking into them and had remarked that she couldn't find any that she liked the look of. At that moment I remembered I'd saved a website and gave her the link. The rest is history. Shortly after that we both had brought home Luts KDFs, joined DOA, met a community of wonderful people who introduced us to a wide array of other companies. So I guess it's a bit of numbers 1-3.